Upwards of thirty million people, worldwide, watched Luis Luisito Suarez bite Giorgio, (apparently not important enough to have a cute nickname), Chiellini for no apparent reason. FIFA, that bastion of fair play, civility and righteousness, taking into consideration Suarez’ repetitive mandibular offenses, has ruled a four-month ban and a token fine to be the appropriate punitive response. I’m no soccer expert, (this seems to be the new, “now I can say anything, [replace ‘soccer’ with Middle East, climate change, economy…], I want to without prior knowledge or corroboration”, disclaimer), but I would think biting, by anyone other than a card-carrying cannibal, should minimally require a therapeutic resolution to that particular anti-social behavior before Luisito, or any other opponent nibbler, be allowed to return to the pitch. If reaction to the FIFA decision by soccer fans, (whom I would assume to not be in need of my particular disclaimer), has weight with regard to the right or wrong of it all…my assessment would be resoundingly incorrect.

I’m no metaphor expert, but accepted bad behavior in sports by idolized or at least notorious players is a dangerous precedent for the non-sports, (as trivial as that sample may be), part of life. Mike Tyson bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear, (no easy feat considering he was wearing a mouthpiece), and was not disqualified. Hockey players slash, pummel and gouge each other to the delighted expectation of their fans…two-minute penalty. Pitchers regularly attempt to kill plate-crowding batters with little or no recrimination. Tanya Harding, Rocket Richard, Andrew Golota, (look him up)…oh my! Spectator, partisan-frenzied cries for blood have been part of the human genome for thousands of years. From Mayan juego de pelota to Roman gladiator and Christian v. Lion sport, the “KILL ‘EM!!!” mentality is ingrained in the vernacular of every fan base, in every country, in every language; that it has encroached on the socio-political arena is a tad more disturbing than unsportsmanlike conduct. I’m giving ISIS and Bashar el-Assad yellow cards…so there!